Geraldton water polo round 8: Serpents A-grade women fall one goal short of taking it up to top team Demons

Serpents came within a whisker of upsetting ladder leaders Demons in a thrilling women’s A-grade contest, falling a goal short in one of the best Geraldton water polo matches of the season so far. In round 8 on Saturday, Serpents looked sharp from the start and Gilly Johnson delivered break time speeches with enough fire to make a seasoned seminar leader take notes. Grace Johnson was unstoppable with four goals and constant pressure that kept Demons guessing. Sarah Kenyon, Kalani Cotto and Neve Flavel all impressed as Serpents played with real confidence in the sunshine. Demons leaned on their experience in the final quarter, with Abbie McDonald producing one of her best games and the attacking trio of Saskia Newman, Grace Higgs and Trixie Kerr finding just enough rhythm late to sneak home, 7-6. B52’s reminded everyone why they are the reigning champions with a dominant 16-2 win over Rats in the other A-grade game. They scored within seconds through Tenielle Hawke and never slowed. Hawke was relentless all match and was supported by strong showings from Emma Smith, Abbie Hagan and young Opal Prout, who showed maturity beyond her years. Rats tried to hang on but looked overwhelmed, and despite another steady performance from Tessa O’Malley, the lack of subs saw them tire late. In the women’s B grade, Serpents beat Demons Black 12-9 with Grace Johnson and Brianna Brennan scoring four goals between them. Rats earned a tidy 9-3 win over B52’s thanks to Quinn McVee and Tessa O’Malley who both stood tall. The women’s C-grade derby saw Serpents Green take bragging rights over Serpents Blue with a 10-2 victory. Jessica Quayle was the standout with a composed hat-trick. B52’s and Demons Black ended locked at 8-8 in a well-balanced contest where neither side could quite pull away. * In men’s A-grade on Saturday, Demons returned to the top of the ladder with a hard fought 7-5 win over a determined Rats side. Demons relied heavily on their structure, moving the ball with patience and forcing Rats to chase for long periods. Rats hung in thanks to the efforts of Bodhi Smith and the guidance of Luke Neuwert who kept the group settled. Demons found their edge in the final quarter through calm finishing and a couple of clever steals in midfield that swung the momentum. Men’s B-grade saw B52’s handle Demons 12-4. Kingston Warren scored three, Taj Teakle added two and Angus McDonald and Tom Manuel linked well in attack. Drew MacGregor once again gave B52’s confidence with a steady performance in goal. Bodhi Smith battled hard for Rats and Neuwert showed his usual calm leadership. In men’s C-grade Demons beat Serpents 9-4 with Kasen Bunter adding four more to his season tally. B52’s then swept past Rats 15-2 with Spencer Sojan and Lucas Ronan combining for seven goals as the side controlled the match from start to finish.